Survival of the Fittest

Shadow's POV

We had returned back to camp when Marcus Kane approached me. "Can we speak?" He asked. "I'm really busy-" he cut me off. "Please?" He begged. I sigh before nodding. "I know you've been through a lot, more than most" he stated. "But, I want to get to know you not as the twin girl we've found on the Ark but my daughter" he stated. I scoffed "Why should I even want to get to know you?" I asked him. "You're the one who decided to kill my mother and father, the two people of not for them I would have been dead the moment I took my first breath" I hissed out. "You pushed the button that took that away" I reminded him. "I didn't know about you or Elizabeth...." He shakes his head. "Abby never told me, your parents died to protect that from anyone on the Ark" he explained. "Let me ask you something...." I lifted my head and stared at him. "If you would've known, could you hide Elizabeth and I away? Lie to everyone you know and protect us?" I asked him. "If I had known, I wouldn't of had to..." he tells me. I shake my head "My parents died for nothing..." I hissed. He looked hurt and gulped down. "I'm trying to just get to know you" Marcus spoke weakly. "Well don't..." I huffed. I then stormed off. I began setting up for the grounder's arrival.

It had been two days when the grounders finally arrived at our camp. Indra approached Marcus and me with her grounder warriors. "Monin" Marcus greeted. "I thought we'd start with a reception. Then move onto training" he suggested. "We have a lot to learn from each other" he adds. "Weapons there, please" I gestured to the bin as she stared straight into my eyes. They showed fire and hatred. "Only our guards are armed here" I forced a smile to her. She took out her sword and tossed it into the bin along with her blade. The warriors behind her did the same as they walked into the Ark. "thank you for agreeing to this Indra" Marcus spoke as we walked down the hall. "We're here on the commander's orders. I agreed to nothing" Indra hissed out. "Arabella please show them inside? We'll begin in a moment" Marcus says as we walked into a room. I glared when I see Thelonious Jaha leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back. The room is now filled with Ark people and grounders. "All right! Listen up!" I called out over the whispers and low talking. "Quiet down" I ordered them all. I then turned to Indra "Indra, please?" I gestured for her to join me. "I know we don't have a lot in common. But we do have a common enemy...and a common goal" I spoke. "And for us to reach it. To get our people out of Mount Weather...we need to work together" I tell them all. "Ogeda, Skaikru en Trikru," I say, speaking in their language. Marcus then begins speaking "She's right..." he stared, approaching my side. Suddenly Murphy shoved a grounder back, causing everyone to turn to them. "Mr. Murphy!" Marcus shouted. "Apologize to the man" Marcus ordered. "For what?" Murphy only stared straight into the grounders eyes. "He was the one who came at me" Murphy adds. "Two days work detail," Marcus says. "Work detail? I just told you I didn't—" Marcus cut him off. "Care to make it three?" He questioned. Murphy shakes his head and begins walking away when the grounder spoke. "You're gonna burn just like your friend did" he threatened. Suddenly Murphy turned around and punched him in the face. "Hey! Stop!" I rushed over to them and the commotion begins as I grabbed a hold of Murphy. "Murphy! Back off!" I screamed at him.

After the fight was finally split up Abby approached me. "Clarke and the commander want you to join them, they've brought a few grounders to take you with them" She stated. I walked over to Marcus "You got this? Or are you gonna start a war?" I questioned. "Yeah" he shakes his head. I walked away with Abby as she lead me down a few halls and outside to the front gate where four grounders await. "You be careful alright?" Abby asked. "Always am" I smiled to her. "Tell Clarke I love her for me?" She asked me. "I will..." I nodded and hugged Abby before leaving with the grounders. When I got to the campsite the grounders walked me into the hut where Clarke and Lexa stand. "Just in time" Clarke stated. "Hello, Lexa," I say to the commander. It's not long before the male grounder began to get angry as we talked about a plan and everything we know about the Mountain people. "This argument is a waste of time. It is simple. If they can't breathe our air why not just open the door and be done with it? Let them burn!" Quint the grounder hissed. "No" I shake my head. "They have a containment system. Multiple airlocks just like we had on the Ark" I explained. "Our inside man can shut that down," Clarke tells them. "If he gets inside," the grounder says. It made my heart sink to know there was a chance that he wouldn't. "What if we shut it down from the outside?" Lexa suggested. "You say the dam gives them power? Let's take that away" she explained. "That dam withstood a nuclear war, Commander. I highly doubt—" Clarke was cut off when the grounder slammed his hands down onto the war table. "All they offer is no!" He shouted. "Quint" Lexa gives him a warning glare. He straightens up "Apologies Commander," he says. "But the biggest army we've ever had wait for us to give it a mission. The longer that takes. The more of our people die inside that mountain" he reminded her. "It's the same for all of us" I reminded him. "We've lost thousands," he tells me. "How many have you lost, girl?" He asked. "They say they have a plan. I say I waiting for one man to get inside...is not a very good one" Quint stated. "We have an army, let's use it" he stated. "We will. After Bellamy lowers their defenses, turns off the acid fog. I don't care how many men you have. If you can't get to your enemy, you can't win!" Clarke spoke. "You are the enemy!" Quint hissed. "I'm sorry, have we done something to offend you?" I asked him, leaning on the table and tilting my head to the side. "Yes..." he slowly approached me, making Byrnes straighten up. "You burned my brother alive in a ring of fire," he tells me. I approached closer to him "He shouldn't have attacked my ship" I hissed out. "You are very brave under the commander's protection, aren't you?" He questioned. "Noumou" Lexa spoke. "Ai nou na hukop in kom disha kru" Quint spoke in their language. He then walked over to the other side of the room and I take a long breath out I didn't realize I was holding in. "Quinta right. Waiting for Bellamy isn't a plan. It's a prayer" Lexa says. "And no that's not likely to be answered" she added. I feel the righting feeling on my chest at her words. "Excuse me, I need some air," I say to them all before walking out of the room.

I walk through the woods when I hear faint footsteps around me. I lift my head and turn to see Quint standing through the trees. My heart picks up pace as I walk again. "Not so brave now, are you sky girl?" He spoke. I passed a tree and the turn again but he's no longer there. Suddenly I jump back when an arrow hits the tree, inches from my face. I scan the trees to see him aiming an arrow at me and I turned, taking off back where I had come from. I run faster and I stopped when I see Burn. "Brynes thank god..." I paused when she turned around and one of her arms are gone. "Save yourself..." she breathed out before falling to the ground. I didn't scream just ran the opposite way. Suddenly as I run faster Quint knocked me hard onto the ground. He climbed on top of me and held a knife above his head. "For my brother!" He shouted. Suddenly a knife was thrown into his hand and I kick him off me as he screamed in pain. I stand to my feet to see Lexa, Clarke, and another grounder approaching us. Lexa takes out the knife "Jomp em op en yu jomp ai op" Lexa spoke. "Thank you..." I breathed out. "Where's your guard?" Lexa asked me. "He killed her..." I glared at Quint. "Em ste spichen" Quijt hissed out. "Ai gonplei kamp raun em en nou moun" Quint spoke as he tried to stand. "Yu gonplei ste odon," Lexa says before looking over at me. "The kill is yours Ella," she says before handing me a knife. I stared at it in my hands and looked at Quint. "Ella?" Clarke placed her hand on my arm. "Rawr!" A sudden growl, snarls in the distance made us all shoot our heads towards the sound. "What is that?" Clarke asked. "Pauna" Lexa whispered to us. Suddenly she took out her sword, slicing Quint in the leg. "Run!" Lexa ordered. Clarke and I both took off with Lexa, running as fast as we could. "We need to hide" Lexa called out. "This way! I found something" Clarke shouted. We all followed Clarke as she moved a metal door and we climbed inside. Clarke kicked the other door at the end of the tunnel and I scanned around us to see bones everywhere. "Oh!" I covered my mouth. "What is this place?" I asked. "It's her feeding ground" Lexa informed us. "RAWRRRRR!" It roared in the distance and I turned on my heel and begin climbing up. "Let's go," I say. When I get to the top I see the huge moose lying dead on the ground. When the next roar is very close to us. Suddenly a huge Gorilla jumped out of the trees and landed right on top of the grounder, tearing him apart before looking up at us. It pounded on its chest and Clarke takes out her gun, shooting at it. It picked up dirt and rocks and flung it our way. I pulled Lexa down as a rock just missed her head. Clarke aimed, shooting at it more. This time it falls back and for a moment I feel relieved until it began climbing back up the rocks. "Come on!" Lexa shouted, Grabbing us both. "Run!" She ordered and we do. We keep running until we hit a dead end. "What now?" I asked Clarke. She didn't answer, jumping onto the ground and I followed, hurting my hand from the fall. Lexa jumped, landing right onto her arm. "Ah!" She screamed and Clarke rushed over to her. Picking her off the ground. As the Gorilla jumped down we run into a small hole in a gate. Clarke runs after me but when Lexus tried the gorilla grabs her leg. Clarke and I grabbed her hands. "Leave me!" She shouted. "No way!" Clarke yelled back. "Hold her tight!" Clarke orders, grabbing her gun and shooting the Gorilla many times before her gun clicks and clicks. I grabbed Lexa, pulling her inside as Clarke closed the door. We all stand to our feet and rushed towards another and that I kicked open. I then set Lexa on the ground "Give me your sword" I grabbed a hold of it and closed the door placing it in between the handle so it couldn't come in. Clarke begins to wrap Lexa's arm in a sling. "You both should've left me behind," She tells us. "Now three will die here instead of one" she adds as Clarke ties a knot in the sling. "We're still new to your culture but when someone saves your life our people say thank you" I explained to her as Clarke begins to walk away from her. "I'm serious..." Lexa spoke. "To lead well, you must make hard choices" she explained. Clarke turned to her "Hard choices?" She asked. "You're telling me that?" She scoffed. "I've seen your strength. It's true" Lexa approached closer to her. "But now you waver," she says. "You couldn't leave me to die..." Lexa hissed. "That was weakness," Lexa tells her. "I thought love was weakness" Clarke mocked her. "Mockery is not the product of a strong mind, Clarke" Lexa told her as I begin to look for a way out of here. "You wanna know why we saved you?" Clarke asked her. "Because we need you," Clarke says. "God forbid one of your generals becomes commander. You may be heartless, Lexa but at least you're smart" Clarke informed her. Lexa slightly smiled "Don't worry. My spirit will choose much more wisely than that" she tells Clarke. "Your spirit?" Clarke asked her. "When I die, my spirit will find the next commander" she explained. "Reincarnation?" Clarke questioned. "That's how you became commander?" Clarke asked. "How are your leaders chosen?" Lexa knit her brows together and I can't help but snort out a laugh. Suddenly a loud bang above us causes me to jump. The Gorilla then jumps down and begins pounding on the door, causing the three of us to step further away. "It found us" Clarke announces. My heartbeat quickens and my breath becomes uneven. "Don't be afraid...death is not the end" Lexa advised. "We are not dying here!" I shouted at Lexa. "Then get ready to fight" Lexa takes out her knife. "Because it's coming in" she tells us. I thought for a second "Maybe we let it in?" I suggested. "Come on!"I shouted to them as I rushed over to the side of the door. "Now!" I shouted, taking the sword off the door. The gorilla comes storming in, rushing over to the other side of the room. "Go!" I shouted at Lexa and Clarke and shoved them out the door before rushing myself out and closing it and grabbing the handle, pulling it down to lock the door. "Let's go," Lexa tells us.

Clarke is sound asleep as we take a rest. I sit down next to Lexa, taking notice of how she watches Clarke sleep. "You think that's a smart idea?" I asked her. "What?" She knit her brows together. I let out a soft laugh "Nothing...forget it" I shake my head. "All I'm gonna say is, whatever you feel towards Clarke...Good or bad" I begin saying. "Don't betray her, hurt her" I advised. She lifted her nose as if the idea never crossed her mind but I knew better. "Your Secret is safe with me Commander" I laughed. "What is Clarke to you?" Lexa asked me. I looked at Clarke, tilting my head to the side. "She's..." I paused. "She was a friend when we first got down here," I say truthfully. "Was?" Lexa asked. "Yeah, But things have gotten so complicated and screwed up," I say. "How so?" Lexa asked me. "I had a twin sister on the Ark, her name was Elizabeth," I say to her. "Your warriors murderer her..." I informed her. "Anyway, I found out my parents who raised us weren't really our parents that Marcus Kane and Abby Griffin are our mother and father and since then..." I paused. "I don't know what to think" I stated. "Abby griffin? Clarke's mom?" She asked. I nodded "Crazy right?" I asked. "That sure does complicate a friendship," she says. "I don't know whether to say she's a sister or a friend because I already had a sister and that didn't turn out too well of me," I say to her. A sudden snarl in the distance makes Clarke shoot up. "It's okay Clarke..." Lexa says softly. "You're safe" she smiled. "How's your arm?" Clarke asked Lexa. "Hurts" Lexa tells her. "We should go, that cage won't hold forever," I tell them both. "Wait..." Lexa stands to her feet. "I was wrong about you Clarke, Your heart shows no sign of weakness" she stated. It then hit me, an idea. "The cage won't hold..." I whispered. "I know, we're going Ella" Clarke groaned. "No...I think I know how to take Mount Weather" I tell them both. "We've been trying to get inside but they've already let us in," I say. "What are you talking about?" Lexa asked me. "Commander your army is already there, locked in cages. We just need someone on the inside to let them out" I explained. "Bellamy..." Clarke whispered. "You have faith in him?" Lexa asked. "We do" Clarke stated. "I hope your faith is well placed. Because if he can't get inside. We can't win" Lexa pointed out. "Clarke, Lexa. let me go...I'll find him and make sure we get inside" I tell her. Clarke stomped on the fire. "I know my way there, practically know it by the back of my hand," I say to her. Clarke looked over to Lexa and they both nodded. "Soon as you make it inside, contact us right away" Clarke suggested. "I will" I hugged Clarke before she handed me her gun. "May we meet again?" I tell her. "We will," she says back before I take off.